Jamie Fellner and Marc Mauer

About the author: Jamie Fellner is an associate counsel for Human Rights Watch, an organization dedicated to protecting the human rights of people around the world. Marc Mauer is assistant director of the Sentencing Project, an independent source of criminal justice policy analysis, data, and program information for the public and policy makers. Both are co-authors of the report "Losing the Vote: The Impact of Felony Disenfranchisement Laws in the United States."

In forty-six states and the District of Columbia, convicted felons in prison cannot vote. In fourteen of those states, felons are barred from voting for life. Other states allow ex-offenders to vote, but the procedure to obtain such a privilege is all but impossible. Disenfranchisement affects African-Americans the most because a disproportionate number of them are incarcerated...